People protest opening of wine shop in Srinagar
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), residents of Panthachowk area in Srinagar staged a peaceful protest against the proposed opening of a wine shop, urging the authorities to scrap the plan in view of strong public opposition.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the protesters said the proposed liquor outlet was being set up in a densely populated residential locality and expressed concern over its potential social and cultural impact.
They pointed out that several religious institutions, including mosques, are located in the vicinity, arguing that opening a wine shop in the area would hurt the sentiments of local residents and undermine the locality’s social and religious values.
“We request the administration not to permit the opening of the wine shop in our locality. This is a residential area, and the presence of religious institutions nearby makes the proposed location completely unsuitable an inappropriate,” one of the protesters said.
The demonstrators also urged the National Conference-led IIOJK government to intervene and respect the aspirations of the local population, saying they expected the elected government to address public concerns.
Critics said the opening of liquor outlets in Muslim-majority Kashmir is part of a broader policy by the Indian authorities to erode the territory’s religious and cultural identity, hurt the sentiments of the local Muslim population, and promote activities incompatible with Kashmir’s social, moral and cultural ethos.
